Chelsea may at last be able to offload one of their biggest ever flops

onMarch 24, 2013

Atletico Madrid are planning to rescue struggling Blues striker Fernando Torres with a summer transfer, with the La Liga club likely to lose star striker Radamel Falcao. Chelsea have been linked heavily with Falcao, and a Blues deal for the Colombian could open the door for Torres’ move in the opposite direction.

Torres is an academy graduate of Atletico and left the Spanish capital in 2007 for Liverpool. His spell with the Reds was highly successful, prompting Chelsea to pay £50 million for his services in 2011. However, with 14 goals from 74 Premier League appearances for the West London club, he could be cut loose at the end of the season, with the Metro claiming that the Blues could do business for a fee of £15 million.

Simeone said about the Torres transfer, “Fernando and I were team-mates here, I know how important he can be for Atletico. Fernando knows about the club’s history, what it means to play here and I don’t need to speak about his ability. He now plays elsewhere, so anything would have to wait until the season is over. Only then can we see who is available and who could do well here.”

Atletico are very likely to clinch a Champions League berth for next season and with Falcao almost certain to depart, the Spanish club could solve their forward shortage with Torres. The struggling Spain international could also be lured by the opportunity to return home and regain his scoring touch at a familiar hunting ground.